Card feeding device



July 3, 1934. L, HAMMOND 1,964,914

' CARD FEEDING DEVICE Filed Nov. '28. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jay mm, 7% wv figs.

Jufiy 3, 1934 L. HAMMOND 1,964,914

CARD FEEDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 71 yen???"ofiaamem L/ ammma Patented July 3, 1934 UNITE' STATES PATENT OFFICE 10Claims.

My invention relates generally to card feeding devices and moreparticularly to improvements in means for mechanically removing cardssuccessively from a stack. The invention is particularly useful inautomatic playing card dealing apparatus but may also be used in othermachines wherein playing cards, or similar sheets or cards, are to bemechanically separated.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved mechanism forsuccessively removing cards from a stack and feeding them to a positionfor individual handling.

A further object is to provide an improved card feeding mechanism inwhich means are incorporated to prevent removal .Of more than one cardat a time from a stack.

A further object is to provide an improved card separator usable in cardfeeding mechanism in which means are incorporated to prevent removal ofmore than one card at a time from a stack.

A further object is to provide an improved card separator usable in cardfeeding devices and operable to disengage one card from another card orgroup of cards to which it may tend to adhere.

Other objects will appear from the following description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan Viewof a card dealing apparatus in which my improved card feeding mechanismis incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the card separating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View thereof taken on the line '33 ofFig. 2-;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view thereof looking in the directionindicated by the arrows 474 ,of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the card feeding mechanism, a portionof the card feeding tray be.- ing shown in section;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating the operation of thecard separator, and

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the card separatormechanism in different operative positions.

In my copending application, Serial'No. 637,402, filed October 12, 1932(which has matured into Patent 'No. 1,889,729, dated November 29, 1932),I have shown and claimed an improved card table with automatic dealingmechanism in which means operative successively to feed playing cardsfrom a deck is disclosed. My present invention is an improvement uponthe card feeding mechanism therein disclosed.

I have illustrated the present invention as used in a card dealingapparatus of the type shown in my aforesaid patent. This apparatuscomprises, generally, a bridge table having a square, boXlike frame 10and bottom 12 in which is incorporated a card dealing mechanismcomprising a deck receiving tray 14, a circular track 15, a plurality ofcard receptacles S, W, N, E, and mechanism for successively removingcards from the deck tray 14, conveying cards along the track 15 anddepositing them in the pockets S, W, N, E, in a certain predeterminedorder.

Since the present invention relates solely to the card feeding means,reference may be had to my aforesaid patent for a detailed descriptionof the remaining parts of the card dealing mechanism.

The card picker mechanism, or the means by which the cards aresuccessively removed from the deck and conveyed to a position where theymay be individually handled by other suitable mechanism, comprises aturntable 16 mounted for rotation about a stud 18. The turntable has anarm 20 pivotally secured thereto, a torsion spring 2; being utilizedresiliently to hold a roller 26 which is mounted for free rotation uponthe arm 20 adjacent its end, in contact with the inner rail 28 of thetrack 15. A picker thumb 30 (Figs. 1 and 5) is secured to the extremityof the arm 20 by means of a suitable clip 32.

The turntable also has a carrier arm 34; pivotally secured thereto, theend of this arm being provided with a felt covering 36 which rests uponthe outer rail 38 of the track 15. The carrier arm has a pusher 40secured thereto, the pusher carrying a flat leaf spring buffer 42 forengagement with the rearward edge of a card for propelling the latterabout the track 15. The turntable 16 is rotated by a suitable motor 44.

The card tray 14 is providedwith a box 46, one end of which is open, andwhich is adapted to receive a deck of playing cards and hold them. inproperly stacked position.

As best shown in Fig. 5, a movable guide 48, pivoted at and normallyheld against a hired stop 52 by a spring 54, forms a guide for thepicker thumb 30 in its movement toward the stack A of cards, the arm 48forming an extension of the inner track 28, upon which the roller 26 mayroll. By means of this guide, thepicker thumb is caused to move in aninclined path (represented bythe dot and dash line 56 in Fig. 5) at anacute angle of incidence with reference to the surface of the topmostcard of the stack. The picker thumb is made of relatively soft rubber,or a similar material which has a high coefficient of friction withrespect to the card, and substantially at the instant when the roller 26leaves the end of the guide 48 will engage the topmost card and move it,together with any card which may have adhered to the topmost card,against a pair of inclined rails 58, 60. The rail 58 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4)is provided with means for separating the topmost card from any lowercards which may have adhered thereto and thus have been displaced fromthe stack. This means comprises a card separator 62 which is pivoted at64 to a bracket 66, the bracket being secured to the rail 58 by a rivet68. The card separator 62 is capable of pivotal movement between asidewardly bent stop lug '70 formed on the bracket 66 and a similar lug'72 likewise formed integrally with the bracket 66 but preferably beingcovered with a small piece of rubber tubing 74. The card separator 62 isnormally held against the rubber covered stop '72 by a light tensioncoil spring 76, one end of which is secured to the separator 62 and theother end of which is anchored to an end 78 formed at the lower end ofthe bracket 66. The end of the separator 62 projects through a slot 80formed in the rail 58 and has a shoulder 82 which lies substantially inthe plane of the inclined portion of the rail 58 when the separator isin normal position, as shown in Fig. 3. A card stop 84 projects slightlyabove the inclined surface of the rail 58, the stop being of slightlylesser diameter at its base than at its outer extremity.

When, as indicated in Fig. 6, the picker thumb 30 slides more than onecard from the stack, the inclined rails 58, will tend to separate thetopmost card from the remaining cards beneath which may have beendisplaced with the topmost card. Occasionally, however, the second card,and, very rarely, the second and third cards, will adhere to the topmostcard and would slide up the incline with the topmost card, were it notfor the card separator. The topmost card will in every instance be ashort distance in advance of the next lower card or cards and will bethe first to engage the end of the card separator 62. As the latter isengaged, it swings upwardly and its shoulder 82 engages and raises theleading edge of the topmost card above the card stop 84. The second, andvery rarely the third, card will, however, not be raised by the cardseparator 62 and will be arrested by the card stop 84. After the topmostcard has thus been separated from the remaining cards, it will be slidupwardly until its leading edge engages the guard rail 86 and movessuccessively from the position indicated in dotted lines at 88, in Fig.7, to the position in which the card is shown in full lines in saidfigure. It will be noted that in Fig. 7 the roller 26 has commencedrolling up an incline 90 formed on the inner rail 28, and the pickerthumb 30 has just been raised from contact with the card. The card will,however, continue movement, due to its momentum, until it is arrested bythe spring finger stop 92, which may be secured to the guard rail 86. Asingle card will thus have been removed from the stack and placed in apredetermined position for engagement by the card pusher or carrier 40,42. The latter, following the card picker thumb, will engage and conveythe card removed from the stack around the track to one of the cardreceptacles S, W, N, E.

After the card picker thumb has moved beyond the position in which it isshown in Fig. 7, means are provided to restore any cards which may havebeen displaced from the stack in the box 46 to their normal, propersuperimposition. This means comprises a deck wire 94 which is suitablymounted for rotation and has an upwardly extending arm 96 formedintegrally therewith. The opposite end of the deck wire 94 has a shortcrank arm 98 formed thereon, the arm 98 being adapted periodically to becontacted by a lug 100 projecting from the bottom of the turntable 16.The deck wire 94 is held in the position in which it is shown in Figs. 5and 6 by a torsion spring 102. When, however, the lug 100 engages thecrank arm 98 of the deck wire, the latter is swung from the full lineposition, shown in Fig. 7, to the position in which it is shown indotted lines in said figure, thereby repositioning the cards one abovethe other in regular stack formation.

In operation, the turntable 16 rotates continuously during a dealingoperation and the picker thumb 30 removes the cards from the stack inthe deck box 46, one at a time, in the manner previously described. Theinclined rails .58, 60, tcgether with the card separator 62 and cardstop 84, are effective to prevent all but the topmost card of the deckfrom being picked up by the picker thumb 36. After removal of eachsuccessive card from the deck, the remaining cards are restored to theirnormal stacked position by the deck wire 96.

The principles of the card separating mechanism herein disclosed may, ofcourse, readily be employed in devices other than a card dealingapparatus and maybe embodied in various forms. I therefore desire theaccompanying claims to be construed to include all such equivalents,modifications and variations as may be apparent to those skilled in theart.

What I claim and desire to sescure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a card feeding device, the combination of means for holding astack of playing cards,

a friction device engageable with the topmost i card of the stack forsliding it therefrom, an inclined rail located adjacent said means andpositioned to be engaged by cards slid from the stack, a fixed card stopon said rail, and a card separator engageable by the leading edge of theforemost card and actuated thereby to guide the latter in a path oversaid stop.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfrictionally feeding cards from a stack and means for separating thetopmost card from other cards which may have adhered thereto, said meanscomprising a fixed stop, and a member engageable by the topmost card andoperable thereby to lift it over said step.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a card pickermechanism, said mechanism including an inclined rail, a rigid stopsecured to said rail, and a pivoted card separator arm carried by saidrail and adapted to be engaged and operated by the topmost card fed fromsaid stack thereby to lift said topmost card over said fixed stop, saidfixed stop being effective to arrest cards adhering to the topmost card.

4. A card separating device comprising, a rail, a card stop fixed tosaid rail, and a movable card separator projecting above the level ofsaid rail and adapted to be engaged and operated by the leading card toraise the latter over said stop but to permit any cards adhering to thetopmost card to be arrested by said stop.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rail, abracket fixedly secured thereto, a notched arm pivoted to said bracketand having an extension projecting above the surface of said rail, astop fixed to said rail adjacent said arm, and card feeding mechanismadapted to move cards along said rail, said mechanism being arranged tocause engagement of said arm by the foremost only of a plurality ofcards, whereby said arm will be actuated by and raise the foremost cardover said stop, said stop being eifective to arrest movement of anycards adhering to the foremost card.

6. A card separator mechanism comprising, a guidew-ay for cards,friction contact means for sliding the topmost card from a stack andmoving it along said guideway, a fixed card stop on said guidewayadapted to arrest movement of all but the topmost card of the stack, anda card separator mechanism arranged to be engaged by the leading edge ofthe topmost card and actuated thereby to move the latter through a pathclearing said stop.

7. A device for preventing the feeding of more than one card at a timealong a track, comprising a stop positioned in the normal path of thecards along said track, and card actuated means for rendering said stopinefiective for the foremost of a group of cards being fed along saidtrack.

8. A device for preventing the feeding of more than one card at a timealong a track, comprising a stop positioned in the normal path of thecards along the track, and a separator element positioned to be engagedby the leading edge of the foremost of a group of cards being movedalong the track and operable by the card to defiect the card past said.stop, said stop serving to arrest the remaining cards of the group.

9. A card separator mechanism comprising, a guideway for cards, a cardstop secured to said guideway and adapted to arrest movement of all butthe foremost of a group of cards moved along said guideway, and a cardseparator arranged to be engaged by the leading edge of the foremostcard and actuated thereby to deflect the latter through a path clearingsaid stop.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding cards from a stack and means for separating the topmost cardfrom other cards which may have adhered thereto, said means comprising astop, and a member engageable by the topmost card and operated therebyto deflect the topmost card past said stop, said stop being efiective toarrest cards removed from the stack with the topmost card.

LAURENS HAMMOND.

